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Fast Wok shuts down after violent reopening

The restaurant said they've had five police calls, an alleged gun incident, fighting and arguing every day after reopening.

INDIANAPOLIS — The parking lot of the Fast Wok Chinese and Thai Food sits empty and a sign in the front door now tells customers it is closed. 

It's a far cry from three days ago when it reopened and a line of people went down the street.

"I had friends that waited 12 hours in line the first day it opened," customer Tracy Russell said.

Russell said her own son waited in line for six hours Friday. The wait has always been worth it, according to customers.

"It's a unique taste. It's different from everybody else's," Russell said.

Fast Wok has been in business for 30 years.

"It was amazing. It was so good. It was the best in the city," customer Dana Gaines said.

Credit: WTHR
Fast Wok Chinese & Thai Food, located at 10116 E. Washington St., announced its permanent closure after multiple incidents after reopening.

Customers even called the owner "mama," when they came in to eat.

Two days after reopening, "mama" said she's had enough, and they're closing for good.

Her team posted on the restaurant's Facebook page explaining why. The restaurant said they've had five police calls, an alleged gun incident, fighting, and arguing every day, and went on to say it never used to be this way.

SAD NEWS. We have been open two days. We have had 5 police calls. The last one caused us to lock our doors. an...

Posted by Fast Wok on Friday, November 3, 2023

"I said I'll give it a couple weeks, and then I'll go. Well now, I can't even give it a couple weeks because it's closed," Russell said.

In another Facebook post, the team said the restaurant has also canceled the free Thanksgiving dinner.

It also explained that after two broken front doors and threats of violence, "mama" no longer feels safe for her customers, staff and family.

With regret Mama has cancelled the free Thanksgiving. Some have wondered what led to her decision. Before Fast Wok was a...

Posted by Fast Wok on Saturday, November 4, 2023

"People just have no respect for anything anymore. Very angry about things," Russell said.

The owner has watched generations of families enjoy her food. Customers said this closing feels personal.

"Huge, huge loss. As you can see, people are coming by every minute just to see that it's true," Russell said.

"When are they going to learn? How many restaurants or malls are we going to lose out on because of people's foolishness?" Gaines asked.

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